Call for Artists and Writers – Transitions: Civic Square Hoarding Project at Burlington City Hall

City of Burlington Civic Square

Call for Artists and Writers
Transitions: Civic Square Hoarding Project

Submission Deadline: Friday May 22, 2026, 11:59pm
Award: $400 CAD | 21 commissions available

The City of Burlington is presenting Transitions: Civic Square Hoarding Project, a temporary artwork series to be installed on construction hoarding during the Civic Square Renewal project. This initiative will feature up to 21 artists and writers, showcasing existing works that engage with the theme of transition in diverse and creative ways.

Transitions invites works that reflect on the present moment, consider changes underway, or imagine possibilities ahead. Through this project, construction hoarding will be reimagined as a space for artistic expression, fostering community connection, and celebrating the breadth of local talent.

This call is open to emerging, mid-career, and established Burlington-based visual artists art teams or writers, as well as artists, artist teams and writers at all career stages that are members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation or Six Nations of the Grand River, regardless of current residency.

The Civic Square Hoarding project welcomes all art forms that can be presented in a signage format, including but is not limited to visual art, graphic art, illustration, photography, poetry, short story, non-fiction, etc. Photographs of three-dimensional artistic works such as sculpture, fashion and craft may also be submitted. Artists may submit existing work.

Technical Requirements

The theme of the Civic Square Hoarding Project is Transitions.

Submitted works are encouraged to engage with this theme in a way that feels meaningful to the artist or writer. This may include reflecting the city’s multicultural strength, honouring its past, or gesturing toward future possibilities. Artists are welcome to explore one or more of these ideas or interpret “Transitions” in their own unique way.

The artwork will be printed on a 48″ x 48″ panel and will include a brief title (artist name, artwork title and year of creation) underneath the image. The artwork must adhere to the following specifications:

Visual artwork must be scalable to a maximum of 44″ width and 34″ height or less. The artwork may be presented in landscape or portrait orientation but may not exceed the maximum dimensions.
Visual artwork must be supplied as a high-resolution digital image suitable for printing.
Writing pieces must be 150 words or less. Please consider formatting requirements of your submission (i.e., if your submission requires multiple line breaks, spacing, etc. the word count should be reduced to allow space for this).
Suitable for presentation in a public space, for all ages (i.e., the artwork may not contain profanity, hate speech, graphic imagery, etc.).
Be easily legible to pedestrian traffic, artwork that incorporates text must adhere to AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) guidelines.
Artwork cannot contain imagery resembling traffic signals or directional signage.
Artwork may not include logos, company names, etc.
The artwork must be original and cannot infringe on the copyright of any other individual/company.

Eligibility

This project is open to Burlington-based artists and writers as well as artists and writers that are members of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River, regardless of current residency. Artist collectives and/or artist-led teams are also encouraged to apply. The Civic Square Hoarding project strongly encourages applications from equity-seeking communities, from individuals who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ and/or persons living at intersectionalities.

Project Budget

The artist fee for this project is $400 (CAD, exclusive of HST).

Selection Process

This is a one-stage process. An internal review committee will review all applications based on the following criteria:

Artistic merit of submitted work
The artist(s)’ responsiveness to this project (as outlined in the Artist Statement).

Submission Requirements

Applications must include the following:

1. Artwork Statement: Please provide a brief statement (maximum 150 words) outlining your artwork.

2. Artwork or Writing Submission:

Visual Art Submission: You may submit an existing artwork for consideration. Artwork can include visual art, photography, digital illustration, photography of artistic work such as sculpture, craft, etc.

Writing Submission: Submissions must be a maximum of 150 words. Submissions may be from existing work. It may be a stand-alone piece such as a poem or short story or an excerpt from a larger piece.

3. Artist Biography: Please provide a short (maximum 50 words) artist biography written in the third person. This biography may be included on the City’s website if your artwork is selected.

Visit burlingtonpublicart.com/calls-for-artists/ for a more detail.

How to Submit

Applications must be submitted online. To use the online application, you will need to create a free account for the online application system Submittable.

Visit burlingtonpublicart.com/calls-for-artists to access the online application.

Submission Deadline: Friday May 22, 2026. 11:59pm

For additional information or questions, please contact:
Olivia Hope, Advisor, Cultural Programs
publicart@burlington.ca | 289-208-4699